Election day is finally over and the Republicans have taken the majority in the House of Representatives, the Democrats have held on to their majority in the Senate, and the Tea Party delivered in some races. What role did the Latino vote play in yesterday’s election? Did voter suppression efforts work to keep Latinos at home? Did Latinos vote by not filling out ballots?

While pundits and electoral analysts will be looking at the numbers for awhile, there are some early stats that show that the Latino vote played an important role in some key races. For example, in Nevada, where Democratic Senator Harry Reid faced a threat via the politics of hate of Sharon Angle, Reid held on to his seat. According to early exit polls reported by the Wall Street Journal, 16% of the Senate electorate yesterday was Hispanic and Reid’s magic number, if you will, to defeat Angle, was 15%. According to a poll sponsored by Latino Decisions, the National Council of La Raza, SEIU, and America’s Voice the breakdown looks like this:

Latino vote for Governor
Rory Reid: 84%
Brian Sandoval: 15%

Latino share of voters: 12%
Latino contribution to R. Reid: +8.5

Latino vote for Senate
Harry Reid: 90%
Sharron Angle: 8%

Latino share of voters: 12%
Latino contribution to H. Reid: +9.8

There will more to report later following some press conferences this afternoon.